I betrayed my ethical principles: Investigating master’s dissertation marking practices in CS

Abstract

The project or dissertation is the most significant element in a master’s program. Despite the increased regulation and accountability regarding academic standards, there is very little debate on grading practices, particularly dissertation marking. The limited research on the assessment of master’s dissertations indicates the need for more research in that area. This paper presents a study that investigated markers’ (n=31) master’s project dissertations marking practices in Computing Science at a university. Findings also show that many assessors do not typically use marking schemes; the marking load negatively affects their marking. Most would prefer complete anonymity of marking, including blind negotiation. A third of assessors have had issues marking dissertations outside their area of expertise. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data corroborated those findings and revealed three overarching themes: 1) I felt that I betrayed my ethical principles, 2) I tried to acknowledge my bias/familiarity with the topic, and 3) Improving the marking experience, second marking and reconciliation process. The paper highlights four key points to consider to improve the master’s dissertation marking process.